MP4 vs. Other Video Files: What Format Should I Ask for When Digitizing Old Tapes?

by keithbv | Aug 14, 2026 | Digital Files & Delivery

VIDEO FILE FORMATS MP4 vs. Other Video Files: What Format Should I Ask for When Digitizing Old Tapes? For most families, MP4 is the safest everyday choice because it works on modern computers, phones, televisions, tablets, and cloud platforms while keeping file sizes...

What Resolution Should VHS, Hi8, and MiniDV Be Digitized At?

by keithbv | Aug 14, 2026 | Tape Condition & Transfer Quality

VIDEO RESOLUTION & DIGITAL CAPTURE What Resolution Should VHS, Hi8, and MiniDV Be Digitized At? Bigger numbers are not automatically better. VHS, Hi8, and most MiniDV recordings are standard-definition sources, so exporting them as 1080p or 4K does not magically...

Should My Digitized Videos Be One File Per Tape or Split Into Separate Events?

by keithbv | Aug 14, 2026 | Digital Files & Delivery

DIGITAL FILE ORGANIZATION Should My Digitized Videos Be One File Per Tape or Split Into Separate Events? One VHS tape might contain Christmas morning, a birthday party, a school play, twenty minutes of television, and another family event recorded six months later....

What Happens If a Video Transfer Company Cannot Play One of My Tapes?

by keithbv | Aug 14, 2026 | Tape Condition & Transfer Quality

UNPLAYABLE TAPES & RECOVERY What Happens If a Video Transfer Company Cannot Play One of My Tapes? One failed playback attempt does not necessarily mean the recording is gone. Old VHS, VHS-C, Video8, Hi8, Digital8, and MiniDV tapes can fail for many different...

Can a Video Transfer Company Tell Me What’s on My Tapes Before I Pay to Digitize Them?

by keithbv | Aug 14, 2026 | Video Transfer Basics

TAPE PREVIEW & CONTENT IDENTIFICATION Can a Video Transfer Company Tell Me What’s on My Tapes Before I Pay to Digitize Them? Sometimes—but there is an important practical problem. The only reliable way to know what is recorded on an old VHS, VHS-C, Hi8, Digital8,...